My e.l.f Haul

As a little graduation present to myself, I recently decided to take advantage of a generous offer from cult makeup brand Eyes Lips Face (e.l.f). The offer was spend £20, and receive a mystery goodie bag made up from the 'e.l.f loves' collection as a free gift. As I'd been dying to try out some of the most raved about elf products for some time, I thought it would be rude not to have a bit of a splurge.

Below is a picture of all of the products I received. Looking at them all now, I can barely remember which I ordered and which came as part of the free gift!

I thought I'd feature a few of the first impression stand out products in more detail, so here are a few of my favourites so far....

1. e.l.f Lipstick in 'Fantasy'

This was one of the products I received in the mystery bag, and when I first unwrapped it I wasn't too sold on the colour - it's a brick-brown colour and I just wasn't sure. However, when applied to my lips it comes out a beautiful nudey colour, smells and tastes delicious, is moisturising AND long lasting - winning!

2. e.l.f All Over Colour Stick

Again, this was a mystery bag gem. My first impression was pretty much...why? It seemed to me to be a messier alternative to bronzer, I couldn't be bothered to even try it. I can't remember what it was that made me eventually pick it up and give it a go, but I'm SO glad I did - this is a beaut little product! I use it mostly for contouring my face, by running it over my cheekbones, temples and jawline. It's absolutely perfect for this cause as it can be easily applied with precision and is very blendable. It's not too dark, not too shimmery and easier to use on the go than bronzer as there's no need to use a brush...I love it.

3. e.l.f Makeup Mist & Set

This was a product that I chose myself when placing my order. I'd been after a fixing spray for some time and found myself tempted my MUA's offering until I decided to do a haul with e.l.f. This spray does what it says on the tin - I've definitely noticed a difference in the staying power of my makeup since using this spray, perfect for all day events like my graduation last week. It feels a little wet when you first spray it, but it dries quickly and you can't feel it once it's dried. I would definitely repurchase this product.



4. e.l.f Liquid Eyeliner in 'Navy'

Not a particularly revolutionary product, but it does the job and does it well. I'd been after a navy eyeliner for a while so jumped at the opportunity to include one in my haul, and I've been pretty addicted to it ever since. I find it easy to create feline flicks with the applicator, it stays put all day, what more could you want?

Have you tried any e.l.f products? Are you a fan of the brand, and if so which amazing products am I missing out on?

My Summer Ball Look

It's been a busy few days for me - I got my degree results today (2:1 yaaaaaay), and I also had my end of uni Summer Ball on Saturday night. This isn't a formal event, it's basically an overnight festival type thing, but it was a brilliant night and the perfect way to send off an amazing three years at Reading Uni! For this post I thought I'd share what I wore, and my makeup look from the Ball. Here's what I looked like:

 
I absolutely love my dress, which is from Motel Rocks. I originally spotted it on a fellow blogger's page (see her original post here), and promptly fell in love with it. I had to exchange the original size 10 that I ordered for a size 12 (despite usually coming up as a size 8) because the 10 came up very small, but other than that I adore this perfect dress!
The fluro pink wellies come courtesy of my "BFF" Lizzy, who loaned them to me when the weather forecast was looking a little ominous. I stuck the headband on for good measure since the Ball tends to have a festival-esque vibe.

The Ball goes on 'til 6am, so I thought I'd go for brightening makeup in the hope that I'd look a little less haggard by the end. Here's what my makeup looked like:

 

 

I used a pair of Primark false lashes which I was really pleasantly surprised by, they were easy to apply and the glue kept them in place all night, and they only cost £1. I brightened up my eyes by applying highlighter into the corners using an eyeshadow brush. I also used a riduculous amount of my new MUA Bronzed Perfection Bronzer on my face, starting by applying it to my cheekbones, jawline and temples, and then applying a thin layer over the rest of my face. I also used highlighter just above my cheekbones, although the pictures don't really show this too well. I used a light gold eyeshadow across my lids, and a pale silvery-gold shadow below my brows. I hid my fake lash line with a thin layer of liquid eyeliner on my lids, and used a little lilac-grey eyeliner on my lower lash line, topped off with one layer of mascara. I didn't use eyebrow pencil on this occasion as I'd had my brows threaded earlier in the day, and it didn't really seem necessary.

I fake tanned (a LOT) using Little White Lie Self Tanning Mousse, which takes a few hours to develop. Unfortunately I got bored of waiting and ended up sticking a layer of St. Moritz Instant Tanning Mousse on top - the result being very bronzed (borderline orange) limbs. I think I just about got away with it...

I hope you like my Summer Ball look. I will leave you with a few more pictures of the night, because I'm so proud of all the beautiful friends I've made :)